


The Cinnamon Roll (?)

by AngeliaDark



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Childhood Memories, Dad W. D. Gaster, Flashbacks, baby bones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-08
Updated: 2016-06-08
Packaged: 2018-07-13 00:11:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7130309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngeliaDark/pseuds/AngeliaDark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When prompted by Toriel, Sans reflects back on his childhood with Papyrus and it's nothing at all like anyone thought.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Cinnamon Roll (?)

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by a few adorable comics by kerolunaticat on tumblr. Their Undertale work is so cute and very imaginative!

It was something of a healing thing, looking over pictures with Toriel concerning her late children. 

Not for him, no, but for her.  Toriel was very insecure in her role as a mother, first from losing her two children Asriel and Chara, and then letting the six children that came after leave the Ruins and losing them too.  It was with that in mind that Sans swallowed down his own discomfort of looking at the human in the pictures as he pored over them and showed her how happy they were, and how their deaths were beyond her control.

Still, he did find it bitterly adorable at how genuinely happy Chara looked in those pictures, being a good sibling to Asriel and interacting so nicely with other Monsters.  He kept his musings to himself, instead letting Toriel reminisce and talk about them for the dozenth time.

"...and this is the gift they spent all week making for Asgore while he was recovering from buttercup poisoning," she said, brushing a clawtip over a photograph.  "They were so worried, I had to carry them to bed every night because they would sleep outside his bedroom door to make sure he was okay."  She paused, brushing a tear from her eye.  "That was before..."

Sans cut in before the went down that bad memory lane.  "It doesn't matter what happened after, Tori," he told her quietly.  "What does matter is that you raised some good kids, and it was TRAGEDY that took them, not any decision YOU made."  He squeezed her hand comfortingly.  "And you're raising Frisk to be a good kid too.  Heck, they already were, you're just improving on that to make them even more perfect."

Toriel smiled, pulling him to her tightly in a hug.  "Thank you, Sans," she said, nuzzling the top of his skull.  "...For everything.  Including being here for me."

Sans hugged her back.  "It's no problem, Tori," he replied.  "Really.  I'll be here to remind you time and time again of what a good mom you are.  You know.  Whenever Frisk isn't here to do it for you."  He pulled back, pressing his teeth to her forehead in a kiss.  "Now you sit tight, I'll make you up some tea."  He slipped off his chair and headed into the kitchen, hearing Toriel put the photograph album away as he prepped the tea for her and took out a few things for them to snack on.  "We're running low on snail muffins," he remarked, using his magic to carry in the teapot, two cups, and a plate of cookies.  "But Papyrus's cookies'll have to do."

"Papyrus's cookies do for ANY time," Toriel said, nibbling one.  "He's really improved his cooking since he started taking proper lessons."

"Heh, yeah, he has," Sans concurred, taking one for himself and enjoying the atmosphere in silence.

Toriel broke it several moments later.  "All of this reminds me..." she said, smiling at him.  "I feel like I hardly know anything about you and Papyrus before a certain point...and you're always talking about how amazing Papyrus was growing up."

"What about it?"

"Well...what was Papyrus like as a child?"

Sans's hand dropped the teacup he was holding, his left eyelight flashing blue.

_"Sans, this is your little brother."_

_Sans peered over the crook of his father's arm, seeing a tiny bundle wrapped up tight like a bean.  Peeking out of the little bundle was a teensy skull, too small to even be REAL.  Sans's eyelights glimmered curiously, leaning in closer to see the baby bones.  His daddy had told him that a baby brother was coming, but now he was HERE!  He looked up, seeing his father's amused face looking back at him._

_"Do you want to hold him, Sans?"_

_Eager nodding followed as Sans held out his arms, wrapping them firmly around the tiny bundle when it was handed to him.  The baby bones peered up at him, dim eyelights staring out as he shuffled in his bundle.  Sans beamed, hardly able to believe that his baby brother was here, thinking of all the fun they could have together--_

_\--and then he promptly screeched when his little brother's tiny fist shot out and embedded itself into his eye socket._

**AGE THREE  
**

_"I AM GOING TO KILL YOU, PAPYRUS!"  
_

_Papyrus screamed as he ran through the house and dove behind his father's legs as Sans came tearing after him, left eyelight blazing hellfire.  Papyrus wailed loudly, clinging to Gaster tightly when his father picked him up and shielded him from Sans's righteous eight-year-old fury.  "What in the world is going on?" Gaster demanded, forming a spare skeletal hand to hold Sans back by the shirt.  Sans flailed outward at Papyrus, growling._

_"HE COLORED IN ALL MY BOOKS!" he hollered.  "EVEN MY NEW MYSTERY BOOKS!"  He continued to flail until Gaster sighed and had the spare hand hold Sans up off the ground._

_"Sans, he's just a baby bones," he said patiently.  "I seem to recall a small bones getting into MY things when he was younger too.  I can buy you new books, but I can't buy you a new little brother."  He patted Papyrus's back comfortingly.  "I'm sure Papyrus is sorry he wrecked your books.  Are YOU sorry for scaring him?"_

_Sans huffed, crossing his arms.  "...I guess so," he muttered.  Gaster smiled, lowering him back down and dispelling the spare hand, patting him on the head._

_"There's my good boy," Gaster praised.  "I'm going to get Papyrus changed for lunch, and then we'll clean up the mess together later, okay?"  He turned to walk to Papyrus's bedroom and Sans saw Papyrus peeking over their father's shoulder._

_He could've SWORN he saw the baby bones smirk at him._

**AGE SIX**

_"DADDY, SANS WON'T STOP HITTING ME!"_

_"I AM NOT!"_

_"Boys, please, I have a lot of work to do, can you behave yourselves for thirty minutes?"_

_Papyrus ran past their father's office, covering his head to avoid the persistent--albeit gentle--taps that Sans was making with a conjured bone.  Sans pursued, endlessly amused at his playful teasing and feeling just a little bit gleeful that he was getting some sweet big-sibling revenge for all the books Papyrus had defaced as a kid.  He chased Papyrus out of the house and to the tool shed, snorting when his little brother shut the door._

_"Aw, c'mon out, Papyrus, I swear I won't hit you again!" he called through the door, hiding his bone behind his back.  After a few moments, the door clicked open but before he could rush in with his assured victory, he heard a loud, roaring whirring sound coming from inside.  He stepped back as Papyrus came out, wielding the chainsaw their father kept in there for 'reasons'._

_"Oh, I know you won't hit me again," Papyrus said, his eye sockets void of any light.  "I'll make sure of THAT."_

_Gaster put his head in his hands, letting out a muffled sob as Sans tore past his office door screaming his head off with Papyrus in pursuit with the chainsaw.  He was not getting any work done today, that was for sure._

**AGE SEVEN**

_"Heyyyyy, Papyrus!  Wanna hear a joke?"_

_"I'm reading, Sans," Papyrus replied, burying his face further into his book._

_"So, what happened when the man said hello to the ocean?  Nothing, it just waved."  He snickered down at his little brother's ire.  "'Sea' what I did there?"_

_"NO."_

_"Are you 'shore'?"_

_"SANS.  GO AWAY."_

_"Jeeze, no need to be a 'beach' about it."_

_"SANS."_

_"Sans?  What are you doing to your brother?"_

_"No-fin, Dad!"_

_"I'M LEAVING!"  Papyrus slammed his book shut, standing up.  Sans almost doubled over with laughter._

_"Aw, come on, Paps, I'm just teasing!  You should know by now I never get 'tide' of these jokes!"_

_Papyrus paused in the door frame, his hand clenching around his book.  "'Whale', dear brother, I 'fish' you would stop with the jokes..."  He turned his head, eyelights gone.  "After all, I wouldn't want to 'krill' you in your sleep."  He turned back around and walked out of the room._

_Sans felt his sins crawling on his back._

**AGE** **EIGHT**

  _Sans sat back on the couch cracking open the new package of cookies his father brought home, happy he got to it before Papyrus did.  The baby bones hoarded the good food like a dragon with gold, and by gods, he was going to have the good stuff for once!_

_As he was nibbling the first cookie, Papyrus walked in, doing a double-take when he saw the cookies.  "Ooooh, cookies!" he gasped, his eyelights sparkling.  "Can I have some--"_

_"No," Sans said, leaning the package away from him.  Papyrus's sparkle faded._

_"But--"_

_"No," Sans repeated.  "You always get to the cookies first, so I'm getting this one!  Go away."_

  _Papyrus's expression went put-out before shifting to something more...devious.  "Very well," he said calmly, stepping back from Sans.  Sans frowned, watching as Papyrus looked him in the eye socket, raised his fist--and then punched himself in the face.  Sans's jaw went slack as he then watched Papyrus summon a bone construct and repeatedly hit himself in the head with it until there were bruises formed._

_"Paps, what the--"_

_"DAAAAAAAAD!" Papyrus screeched, tears running from his eye sockets on cue.  "SANS HIT MEEEEEE!"_

_"........you little shi--"_

_****_

_He wished he really HAD hit the little brat, watching with a sore sacrum as Papyrus happily munched on the rest of the cookies._

  **AGE TEN**

_"Dad?  We need to talk about Papyrus."_

_Gaster looked up from reading, putting his book down.  "What about him, Sans?" he asked.  "Has something happened?"  Sans shook his head, checking to make sure Papyrus was still building a snowman outside before turning back to his father and taking a dull kitchen knife out from his coat._

_"...I found this under Papyrus's pillow," he said.  "...and it's not the first one I've found."  
_

_"...what were you doing looking under Papyrus's things?"_

_"Dad, that's not the point!" Sans cried.  "I mean--Paps is hiding these things EVERYWHERE in his room, and I keep finding weird homemade dolls in weird places and the way he plays with his action figures--"_

_Gaster sighed, closing his book.  "Sans, ALL children hoard things in their rooms," he said patiently.  "If they take an interest in something, they want to keep it around them.  And how can you fault him for making dolls, it's how he expresses his creativity!"_

_Sans rolled his eyelights.  "Right, and the 'creativity' behind the execution scenes he acts out with his action figures is normal too?"_

_"It is.  He's expressed interest in the Royal Guard, and naturally he's too young to understand all it entails and instead romanticizes it like all children do with careers.  I seem to recall all those experiments with mold you did in YOUR room when you were little."_

_"Dad, mold won't kill me in my sleep."_

_"Actually, some species of mold--"_

_"DAD."  Sans ran his hands over his skull.  "Papyrus.  Is hoarding.  KNIVES.  That's NOT normal!"_

_Gaster rubbed his nasal bone, putting his book away on the shelf.  "I'll talk to him about it," he told Sans before reaching out and patting his son's skull.  "But I'm telling you, there's nothing to worry about.  No go wash up for dinner and stop snooping in your brother's room.  Even children are entitled to privacy."  He stood up and walked out of the living room and to the kitchen, leaving Sans standing there._

_Sans groaned, rubbing his eye sockets before turning to leave, freezing when he saw Papyrus standing at the window outside staring in, giving him a grin and a little wave before hurling a bone like a discus and decapitating his snowman._

_Sans never went into Papyrus's room again._

**AGE ELEVEN**

_Sans yawned, rubbing his eye sockets as he woke up, internally feeling that it was still nighttime but instinctively feeling that something wasn't...right.  He shifted over, looking to his bedside table to see what time the clock said and nearly had his soul jump out of his rib cage when he saw someone standing almost flush with the side of his bed.  After taking a few seconds to calm himself down, his vision adjusted to see that it was Papyrus standing there motionlessly._

_"Paps...?" he murmured, sitting up a little.  "...is everything okay?  You have a bad dream or...some...thing....?"  He trailed off when he looked up at Papyrus's face, seeing nothing but empty, almost soulless eye sockets staring back down at him.  "....uh...Papyrus...?"_

_"Everything's alright, brother," Papyrus replied, almost startling Sans out of his own skeleton again.  "I just like watching you sleep.  It's soothing."  He reached down and slowly pulled the sheets back up around Sans's shoulders, patting Sans's head.  "Go back to sleep, Sans."_

_Sans numbly laid back down, turning around so he was facing the wall.  If he was going to die, he didn't want to see it coming._

_****_

_"Papyrus?" Sans delicately approached the next morning as Papyrus munched on cereal.  "...I don't want you to watch me sleep anymore.  It's really creepy."_

_Papyrus looked up, giving Sans a weird look.  "...what are you talking about?" he asked.  "I don't watch you sleep.  You're crazy, I've got better things to do than watch you drool and snore."  He went back to his cereal, giving his attention to the word jumble on the back of the box._

_Sans stared at his little brother, feeling a twitch in his skull._

_He slept with the door locked every night after._

**AGE TWELVE**

_Sans woke up at 11:55 to the sound of Papyrus going past his bedroom door, the sound of muffled dragging going with him.  Every instinct in his bones was telling him STAY IN BED DO NOT GET UP JUST SLEEP IT OFF LIKE A BAD DREAM but this was seriously freaking him out.  He crept out of bed and inched his way to the door, pressing his skull against it to listen out.  Nothing.  He slowly unlocked the door and opened it, looking around before heading down the hall and to the stairs, hearing the back door creak open._

_This was easily a twelve out of ten on the Creep-O-Meter, but Sans swallowed his fear and followed, keeping silent and dimming his eyelights as he crept to the back door and peeked out._

_Outside, Papyrus was dragging a large bag of something to a pile cleared of snow, hoisting it to the pile with a dull 'thud' before stepping back with a satisfied smile.  Sans REALLY wished his father wasn't working late at the labs tonight as he wondered just what the hell was in that bag._

_Papyrus stepped back and raised his arm closer to his face, and Sans could see him looking at his watch, with Papyrus repeating the gesture several times before leaning down and picking up a small canister and dumping it over the pile.  Sans caught a scent of lighter fluid moments before Papyrus then reached into his pocket and took out a pack of matches, lighting one up and holding it for a few moments until his watch let out a soft 'beep', then tossed the match onto the pile, where it immediately went up in flames._

_Sans stood there and watched as Papyrus watched the pile burn, letting out cackling 'nyeh heh hehs' as he took off his jacket and stripped off his striped shirt, tossing it into the burning pile._

_"I'M A TEENAGER NOW!" Papyrus crowed, startling Sans out of his wits.  "GOODBYE, STRIPED SHIRTS, HELLO ADOLESCENCE!  NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!"_

_At the tender age of seventeen, Sans felt the urge to take up drinking pull its way up to the forefront stronger than ever.  He was 110% DONE with this crap._

**AGE THIRTEEN**

_Sans could hardly believe it, but...he was gone._

_His father was GONE._

_And what was worse, nobody seemed to remember him._

_The physics concerning time and space were very iffy and fragile at best, and Sans didn't pretend to understand all of it.  Things in the Underground went on as they always had, just...without the presence of Dr. W. D. Gaster there.  The Core was a group effort that had taken the lives of a few to give comfort and stability to the masses.  Dr. Alphys was Head Royal Scientist.  Sans was a physics intern._

_And he and Papyrus were orphans._

_It was...overwhelming, to say the least, having two separate sets of memories to work with.  Only he remembered his father, and Papyrus--_

_Oh gods, Papyrus._

_Sans raced back to their home--which was in the Capitol now, rather than Snowdin--and burst in, seeing a small and tidy apartment rather than the lived-in coziness of his REAL house in Snowdin.  It was WRONG.  Everything was WRONG--_

_"Oh, brother!"_ _Sans whipped around, seeing Papyrus beaming at him, holding a pack of papers. "You're home early!" Papyrus chirped, rushing up and hugging him tightly.  "You spend WAY too much time at work!  I missed you!"_

_Sans stood there frozen, reeling hard; Papyrus HATED to be touched!  He was NEVER happy to see Sans!  He was barely happy to see his own father--_

_...who didn't exist anymore._

_Sans clenched his quivering jaw tightly, curling his arms around Papyrus, feeling the one tether to reality he had squeeze back tightly in return.  "...you...h-had something to show me?" he asked, trying to keep his voice even.  Luckily, Papyrus didn't seem to notice as he proudly showed off the good grade he got from school, and Sans was never happier for Papyrus's one-track mind as he let his little brother yammer on, wondering where he was going to pick up the pieces of his life--_

"Sans!"

Sans blinked hard, hurriedly tidying up the tea he'd spilled.  "Sorry, Tori," he said, grinning.  "Butterfingers, y'know?"  He laughed it off nervously, shoving another cookie into his mouth.  "....but, ah...y-yeah...Paps was a cute kid, adorable, light of my life!"

Toriel smiled.  "I figured he'd always been a sweetheart," she replied, sipping her tea as Papyrus came in, putting his gear for workouts with Undyne on the floor.  "Hello, Papyrus, did you have a nice time?"

"Oh, the BEST!" Papyrus beamed.  "If only there was a Royal Guard up here NOW, Undyne said she'd hire me on the spot!"  He flounced into the kitchen, rummaging around the fridge.  "....WHO ATE MY COOKIES!?  SANS!!!"

Toriel looked up when she saw a blur of blue out of the corner of her eye, Sans being out of the house before the chair he was sitting on was knocked back on the floor.

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah, I had a headcanon that Papyrus was an absolute terror as a kid and mellowed out as a teenager/post-Core.


End file.
